Tragic Song
by CasualSquirrel
Summary: Her name is Melpomene Eris and her name is her story. With visions of her past haunting her, she struggles to grasp normality in order to achieve her dream of proving her mother wrong. She will find out just exactly how much more she can take. Will the perils prove to be too much? Or will her ghastly nightmares eat her alive first?
1. Nerves

_"__Maman…"_

_Only the sound of crying met the little girl's ears, but she couldn't figure out exactly where it was coming from. It rang through the air with an ominous note that chilled the brunette haired girl to the bone. By now it should be a sound that she's used to but how could a little eight year old really become used to the sound of her mother's heart-wrenching crying._

_"__Maman, Clio needs to eat and Thalia and Harmony are looking for you." The small child rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to give her cold soul some warmth. The house itself had lost its warmth long ago. A spotted, brown and white puppy wound its way around the girl's feet in an attempt to console her._

_After searching through the kitchen and her parent's bedroom she finally found the dark haired women curled into a corner, wedged as far as she could fit. Void sky blue eyes froze the girl right where she stood at the door of the washroom; with a sense of cold and hopelessness washing through her she didn't dare move a muscle._

_"__Ma," she whispered to deaf ears._

_Caught up in her own twisted world the bony woman began to wail louder and louder._

_"__They took them from me! From me! None of this is worth it!" She rolled herself forward and beat her fists against the floor, "How dare they! They shall burn in Hell! FUCKING HELL I SAY! J'EN AI PLEIN LE CUL!"_

_Her voice became warped as she regarded her child and her eyes turned completely black. "MELPOMENE, ALLOW ME TO SAVE YOUR SOUL! DEATH IS THE ONLY SALVATION!" The girl's mother became liken to what she could only imagine as a demon from the depths of Hell; her jaw opened so far it could only be unhinged and she let out an ungodly scream._

_In response the girl clamped her hands over her ears and screamed herself, both in attempt to lessen the skull splitting pain and express it. Her fear only thickened when the picture warped into a room of fire, she watched as her mother returned to semi-normal despite the melting skin and peeking bone as she continued to grieve. The burning sensation was numbing and a welcome change._

_"__Maman, what's happening?!"_

_Her mother lunged at her with a shining knife._

She woke with a start and swiftly smacked her head on the object hanging above her head. It took Mel a moment of swearing for her to catch her bearings and realize that she was lying on the floor and the object she had smacked her head on was her bed. Untangling herself from the sheets became that much more of a chore with a splitting headache, but it was eventually achieved.

"Melpomene! Mel! Hey are you awake yet!" The woman's voice was followed by three strong knocks on the door.

Discarding the idea of making her bed Mel dragged herself to open the door and forcefully smiled. She knew exactly what Abagail was at her door for but she decided to remain friendly for her last morning here. "Hello, Abigail. I'm awake don't worry!" She laughed slightly as she attempted to finger-comb her brunette hair casually.

"Yeah, yeah," Abigail waved her hand dismissively before smiling at Mel with her shining green eyes framed by wrinkles. She was a lady rather advanced in her years but still contained all of the vigor as though she was much younger; her graying red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was still very fit from all of her years of working a large farm.

"I actually came here to make sure that you were ready to be leaving soon," she informed the blue-eyed girl while wiping her hands on her apron.

"Ready to get rid of me that soon," Mel asked with a teasingly raised eyebrow.

Abigail let out a hearty laugh at that and shook her head. "No no no! Of course not! I just wanted to make sure first before I asked you to help me in the fields one last time; my husband, bless his stubborn ass, can't be bothered right now. He's out badgering with that poor shop keeper in town about the price increase on the seeds."

"Well I finished packing last night so I guess I can help you out one more time," Mel pretended to be annoyed at the notion. "It's not like you've let me live on your farm for two whole years or anything."

Abigail smiled softly, "Well I'm not like so many of the other people here in Wall Rose- I'm not just going to selfishly turn my back on a child in need. We can't start turning on each other like that-"

The older woman continued to ramble slightly but Mel had stopped listening. At the mention of people turning their backs on each other, Mel's stomach had dropped basically right out of her abdomen and onto the floor; she smiled and nodded like she was paying attention. Luckily there wasn't much talking after that as Abigail and Mel walked out to the fields and started to work on checking the foliage for an excess of pests. The suddenly silent girl was too caught up in her thoughts of her earlier dream to think of forming a coherent sentence.

It took almost four hours to finish the crops that Abigail had designated for them to water and check. By the time they were done Mel was sweating a good amount and prayed for a chance to sit down.

Not because she was tired though but because she felt sick to her stomach.

"Sweetie, if that work was too much for you then you can kiss the rear end of a horse because you're not going to survive training." Abigail handed her companion a glass of water before pouring her own. As she took a seat on the crate next to the younger girl they both turned their attention to the sky.

Mel laughed softly before shaking her head and chugging the cup of water, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, Abagail. This is something I've been waiting for a long time- you know that."

"It's just," Abigail paused and considered her wording, "I don't want you getting some big head and charging in there like an idiot and pulling stupid shit. It's life or death after you leaving here…"

"Abigail…" Mel caught the other woman's attention before continuing, "It's been life and death ever since Titans first showed up…"

"But you're not doing this for the sake of saving humanity from the Titans, are you?"

There was silence at that. Mel had never before considered the fact that someone may catch onto that; perhaps that's something she should work on.

"Is anyone?" Mel weakly asked.

"Maybe not for all exactly that reason, but they're doing it because of the Titans- regardless if they're running towards them or away from them. That's why you should be extra careful, a lack of true a proper commitment to this sort of thing will get you killed."

"I…" The blue- eyed girl rubbed her face with both hands before running them through her hair and giving Abigail a forced smile. "You have a point but I must challenge that slightly because I do have the commitment, it's just that mine is slightly different than everyone else's."

Abigail hummed softly and searched Mel's face for a few moments.

"What, you guys are just sitting around? Whaddya know I go into town to work my butt off and I come home to see my nagging wife and annoying farmhand doing nothing but sitting on their tooshies for however long! "Abigail's husband winked at them and let out a hearty laugh as he approached.

"Oh what do you know?" Abigail rolled her eyes at him. "We did our share of the work for now- and just as a future note, going into town to badger some poor child about prices he doesn't control doesn't count as working your butt off."

"Nag nag nag," he chuckled before stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking at the sky. "Well look at that, it's time to be going yah brat. The sun is at its peak so the wagon from Trost should be there soon. Abigail go cowpoke those useless farm boys we pay into doing the rest of the work for me, will ya? I'm gonna go run kiddo over to the pickup; I'll be back in about three hours."

When Mel looked into the sky the sun was indeed at its peak. Wasn't this when she was supposed to finally feel excited when she was finally supposed to show her mother wrong? What exactly was she feeling right now, she wasn't sure. Was it… dread?

_'__I could be feeling death for all I care; I have to do this regardless.'_ Mel swallowed hard and gripped her fists tightly.

"I'll go grab my bag." She quickly bowed slightly and turned around while cringing at the sound of her strained voice. As she walked away Abigail and her husband shared a look before her husband shook his head and started to make his way back to the horse.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Oi I always have trouble starting a story off, it's so difficult for me ;-; But I am actually quite pleased with this one and hope that you guys like it as well :) Reviews are love!**

Translations:

Maman: Mom, mommy, etc.

J'en ai plein le cul- akin to I'm fed up with this or I'm sick of it


	2. Strangers

"Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie~" Mel whisper-sung under her breath as she stood in line.

"When the pie was opened the birds began to sing~ oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?" The girl rocked back and forth on her feet slightly.

"Keep singing songs like that and someone is going to think you're plotting something against the king," said a voice behind her as she finished singing the poem her mother had taught her long ago. Mel jumped at first before turning around slowly- she had been expecting to see some sort of snooping Military Police official but was instead relieved to see a nice looking freckled boy.

He smiled.

"Sorry." Mel dipped her head before turning back around; she had promised herself that she'd simply act average. Average was all she needed to get through this. If she was able to make it through it all and into the Survey Corps then she'd be happy enough to prove her mother wrong- but attract too much attention and they may come back to get the one they missed…

A second hadn't gone by before the boy laughed nervously, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. You have a really lovely voice though. My name is Marco. Marco Bott."

Deciding that completely ignoring him would make her stand out all the more, Mel relented and turned around with a small smile. "Melpomene Eris, but you can just call me Mel. I'm sorry I'm just kind of…" She trailed off to think of a word that would be more proper in this situation than 'lost'. "I'm just kind of nervous I guess."

"That's fine; I think almost everyone here is…" Marco trailed off and looked around for a few moments as though he wasn't sure of what more to say. In reality that was basically what was happening; Marco was trying to consider what she might like to talk about. Usually he found ease in talking to others but in this setting and with his nerves already starting to eat at him a little, he found that he felt off.

Mel watched him curiously for a moment before turning back around to see about five more people in front of her verifying their registration.

"So what you aiming for?"

"Aiming for…?" The girl turned back around to raise an eyebrow at the boy who seemed so keen on talking to her. She didn't mind too much though- he was cute and seemed nice enough.

"Yeah, what division do you plan on going into after training?"

"I'm not sure yet," Mel lied through her teeth with a shrug. The Survey Corps was considered suicide for anyone to aim for and it would surely attract unnecessary attention to say such a thing.

"Yeah I don't blame you. It's a pretty tough choice."

The brunette girl resisted the urge to frown slightly at that statement.

_How was it a tough choice? Would you rather be a stay-at-home- sissy or someone that actually went out there and attempted to do something about this terrible way of living?_

She let Marco continue uninterrupted. "But I'm going to definitely shoot for the top 10 of the class so I can get into the Military Police; it would be an honor to serve the king."

Mel blinked.

Then she nodded quietly and turned back around as though nothing had happened.

She attempted to ignore the coldness in her veins and sweating palms. Instead she stared intently into the back of the head of the person in front of her in an attempt to see if it was possible to make holes in someone that way. She licked her lips and focused on the fact that she was next- not the fact that Marco was still behind her and he would continue to be for the next few minutes.

Behind her, the slightly dumbstruck Marco was trying to figure out what had just happened. Had he said something to offend her? Perhaps she was actually aiming for the Military Police Brigade as well and now she felt bad about having to compete against him? That had to be it… right?

_Should I talk to her again? _Marco asked himself as he bit his lip and considered the possibility of her becoming completely annoyed with him. She may even end up punching him in the head. Then his worrying was distracted by something else.

Would she even be able to punch him in the head?

_She's so… small._

He bit back an innocent smile at the thought of her punching him repeatedly in the chest in an attempt to hurt him. Marco wasn't actually attempting to be mean or make fun of her; this Melpomene girl just didn't even reach his shoulders. It was just something adorable to think about while trying to stop his nerves.

Mel had finally reached the desk and just to her luck the opening next to the lady that Mel had was also now open. Mel now had to endure having Marco stand next to her- not that she hated him it was just the prospect of him going into the Military Police Brigade.

"Melpomene Eris?" The lady shuffled a couple of papers around and adjusted her black rimmed glasses.

"Yes that's me."

"Says here you're of age…" The homely looking woman looked up from the papers and shot Mel a look of suspicion.

Mel frowned and nodded.

It took another moment of a staring contest before a voice broke in, "Ah Mel you should hurry up, you know you're mother is going to want to say goodbye again before we leave." Marco, having finished his registration, scooched closer to the petite girl and put a hand on her shoulder.

Mel fought down the urge to give him a questioning stare and instead smiled softly and agreed. "Yes Marco I know. It's just going to be another minute." Mel's stomach felt like it was full of poison. If her mother were here…

The lady behind the desk made an unintelligible noise and stamped the paper before filing it away and handing Mel a slip from across the desk.

Once they had exited the building Marco and Mel stopped for a moment.

"Hey," Mel pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and nodded, "thanks I really needed the help. When I registered a few weeks back the lady at some other desk gave me the same flack."

"No problem. You are… of age though-"

"Yeah I'm old enough to enlist- I'm twelve. Don't worry."

_Get away, get away from him now or else you're going to end up sitting together on the wagon on the way to the camp. Can't have that no, _Mel began to chant in her head.

"Well I guess we should be getting onto a wagon I guess," Marco turned to confirm there was a wagon nearby with spots open- but when he turned back he found the girl that had been there a few moments was gone. He looked down to see the prints of her shoes in the dirt where she'd been standing but that was the only evidence she'd ever been there.

Mel had taken that split second he looked away to easily slip into the step of another future trainee walking by. Being petite, she fit right into his shadow perfectly and blended right into the crowd before jump onto a wagon in stealing a seat closest to the back of the horse. It was typically the spot no one wanted to sit because of the close proximity to a horse's butt however Mel had been working with plenty of manure for the past two years- she was sure the smell would no longer bother her.

She thanked whatever deities were in the sky when all of the wagons began to leave and Marco hadn't managed to find her- that or he hadn't looked. The ride was going to be a few hours long, even with the horses at top speed with this sort of weight. Most of her fellow passengers were quiet with the exception of those few that talked amongst themselves softly so she decided it'd be the perfect time to doze a little.

* * *

><p><em>"Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,<em>

_Dormez-vous ? Dormes-vous ?_

_Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines_

_Ding dang dong, ding dang dong"_

_A little girl ran around in a circle and a puppy, named Theodore, chased after her barking and yipping. She had spent the early morning making a pretty flower crowns in preparation for a festival that was going to be happening later in the day. Her older brother Caerus had made fun of them earlier but her older sister Iris had convinced her that they were very beautiful looking._

_"Caerus, Maman says that you and Iris are going to go training soon. Why are you leaving me? You're going to be gone for long times just like Papa is." The girl's big dark blue eyes stared intently at her brother and his twin sister._

_Iris frowned before hugging Mel. "Don't worry Melly, we'll come and visit just like Papa does, okay? In fact he's going to visit today!"_

_"Really?" Mel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Papa was always gone for really long amounts of time so it was always really great when he came to visit._

_"Yeah, Maman convinced him to bargain for some time off since you're leading a traditional dance for the first time." Caerus reached over to mess up his little sister's hair and chuckled slightly when she struggled to swat away his hand._

_"Look! There he is now!" Iris shouted before jumping up and pointing off towards where the beginning of their land was._

_The small brunette child couldn't believe that she was really seeing his father again. She took off in a sprint yelling 'Papa' over and over excitedly._

_He was home, he was really really home. She could see that he was home but he couldn't believe that he was home. How long had it been since he was last home? It felt like forever since he'd been home._

_And then she noticed._

_Something… was wrong._

_Her sprint turned into a slow jog until it turned into a complete stop._

_She could see him-_

_And his brains._

_She could see his brains._

_The small child let out the loudest screams she could muster._

_It was wrong, it was all wrong. Papa wasn't home, Papa didn't look like that and he wouldn't have his brain falling out when he came home. This man wasn't the Papa that was supposed to be home, but now now now she could see it was. It was the Papa that was supposed to be home._

_He looked exactly the same except now his skull looked like a half open pumpkin. Who had hurt Papa? Mel was sure Papa hadn't always looked this way; with one of his eyes so swollen and purple she could no longer see it and blood coming out of his nose and the right side of cheek had been pulled back in such a way that she could even see the really far back teeth that Maman said grownups had. He was bleeding a lot. Mel couldn't even tell exactly where it was coming from._

_Now this man- this Papa was right in front of her. She could see his fingernails were all missing and blood was dripping from his fingertips._

_He reached out to touch her._

_She screamed and turned around to run._

_But she ran into something._

_And when she looked up she screamed again. Caerus looked wrong and Iris looked wrong. They both had their faces with so many colors and Caerus had a nose that bent all the way to the side and bleeding everywhere like Papa. And Iris, she was missing an eye and all that was there now was a hole and there were cuts all over her face and an ear was gone._

_Mel screamed until her lungs hurt._

_Caerus and Iris's left hands suddenly fell off and Iris's knee exploded._

_Mel's mouth tasted of cooper- whether from the force of her screaming or her sister's blood she didn't know._

_Papa's bloody and broken hands grabbed her as she was forced to watch her older siblings' heads fall off and their bodies spurt more and more blood._

_Mel could only see red, taste it, hear it, feel it-_

"Hey!"

A sharp smack to her arm sent Mel's head flying up so fast she heard her neck crack. She immediately moved to defend herself from her assailant but found her arms would only move an inch to any side as if they had yet to wake up. She felt so disoriented she thought she was going to throw up.

"Look if you're already going to be freaking out now then this definitely isn't the place for you."

Mel fought off the stars that wanted to cloud her vision to turn her head.

"You look like shit."

Finally starting to find her strength she looked up to see this guy. He had light cooper colored hair with an undercut that had a darker hue to it. He looked annoyed with her very existence. Mel suddenly wished that she wasn't squished so close to him.

_Like you look any better, shit face. _Mel bit her tongue and erased the thought.

"If you're going to have some weird sex dream could you keep down the damn noise? It's annoying."

Letting herself glare at him, Mel considered what it would be like to punch him in the nose.

"Sorry for the inconvenience; I'll keep it down next time." Sneaking a quick glance around the small girl acknowledged the fact that this mystery boy had been at least considerate enough to keep his voice down and not draw anyone else's attention. Normally she'd hate the attention but the absolute horror she would've felt if others had heard his comment about her having a 'sex dream' would've been at least fifty times worse.

The last thing she wanted to happen was to become the girl known as "The Girl That Had the Sex Dream in a Wagon".

For the next hour of the ride, Mel kept herself from falling asleep (read: busy) by mulling over the nightmare she had experienced. With her head dipped down and her knees drawn up to her chest she was pleasantly surprised that she wasn't forced to engage in anymore conversation. However, once they got close to the camp a thought struck her.

She looked to see if the boy was at least awake, "Look, I was wondering if we could please keep this between us?"

The boy looked over at her for a moment and raised his eyebrow before sighing.

"Yeah sure, your sex dreams aren't my business anyway." He stretched his arms behind head as Mel felt one of her eyes twitch.

Instead of striking him with the butt of one of the two daggers she was carrying with her she instead settled for a less violent action.

"It wasn't a sex dream." The girl mumbled more to herself than for the benefit of the boy next to her before she buried her head in her knees.

But he had heard her- not that he showed it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Had super fun with this one. I think I did an okay job (butchered) the canon characters introduced so far but I tried so... ^^; Marco is such a cutie mah gawd :3 Hope Melpomene is an okay character so far! Reviews are love but follows and faves are amazing as well! Thanks lovelies!**

Translations:

I don't feel like translating all of "Frère Jacques" ^^; but you can look it up if you'd really like- although I'm sure a few of you recognize that song. The other poem that Melpomene is singing in the beginner is also a real poem from quite some time ago if you'd like to look it up!


	3. Hazing

"This contraption is so uncomfortable-" Mel murmured softly to herself.

Attempting to stand straight and still was difficult when the straps on the uniform felt so foreign. They hugged her in odd places and made her itch. She was lucky that a friendly young girl, who introduced herself as Krista Lenz, had been willing to help her; her nerves had gotten the best of Mel and her fumbling fingers- she might've never been ready in time if the blonde whom was even shorter than herself hadn't helped.

"HEY MOP-TOP!"

"Sir!"

This was terribly intimidating to Mel. She'd seen terrible things and done terrible things- regardless this was definitely in her top five most nerve wracking moments. It was uncanny, this man's ability to both instill so much fear and intimidation while also maintaining an aura of respect instead of mania.

Mel found difficulty in both paying attention and waiting for her turn; licking her lips she attempted to prepare herself for the questions that were going to be yelled at her. She could now see this Armin Arlert's nerves getting the better of him out of the corner of her eye.

"Cadet Arlert, why is a runt like you here!" The intimidating stack of a man, Shadis, asked.

Arlert seemed to flinch away slightly from the larger man's intimidating form. "To help humanity overcome the Titans, sir!"

The petite girl bit her lip. That actually seemed like a good answer.

_Maybe I should use that one…_

"That is delightful to hear!" Commander Shadis yelled and Mel almost couldn't believe her ears for a moment. But then he continued.

"You're gonna be a great light snack for em!"

_And I guess that answer is out of the question. I'm gonna be considered an even lighter snack- oh god what do I say!?_

"Alright, it's your turn, midget!" Suddenly Commander Shadis' booming voice was right in front of her. A rain of spit descended upon Mel and she flinched but didn't allow herself to break form. She quickly assumed the salute and made sure to stand to her full height. Or lack thereof.

"Yes, sir!"

"What is your name, brat!" His wording could've been mistaken as a question but it was most certainly a command.

"Melpomene Eris, sir!" The girl cursed herself as her voice cracked. This man was most likely capable of making a large bear cry.

"Are you aware that your name is longer than you are tall, cadet!"

She nearly let out a giggle. Shadis' comment was so similar to what her older brother used to say… Mel's heart suddenly felt extremely heavy.

Shadis jumped on Mel's fatal hesitation within a second.

"THIS IS NO PLACE FOR SOLDIERS THAT CAN'T EVEN PAY ATTENTION FOR MORE THAN TWO SECONDS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, CADET? DO YOU WISH TO BE A TITAN SNACK?" The bald man wasn't above invading the small girl's personal space with his face even though he had to lean quite far down to do so.

"Yes sir I understand. My apologies, sir! I do not wish to be a Titan snack, sir!" With eyes squeezed shut tightly Mel mustered up everything she had in attempt to bellow as loud as Shadis. She didn't even come close.

"I did not ask for your useless apologizes, cadet! Look at your superior when you are addressing them! Now what is a useless cadet like you doing here!?"

She wasn't going to hesitate for a second time. There was no way she would anger him like that again- she didn't dare. Mel felt like every nerve in her body was on fire. She couldn't hold her tongue; the first thing that popped into her head found its way into the air much to her horror.

"I wish to prove my mother wrong, sir!"

Mel could feel the blood draining from her face.

Shadis' eyes narrowed at her considerably as he mulled over her answer.

"That is one of the worst answers ever, cadet! WE ARE HERE TO LEARN HOW TO KILL TITANS AND BECOME USEFUL SOLDIERS FOR HUMANITY, NOT THROW A TANTRUM AT OUR PARENTS! Row three about face!" One of his hands descended onto her head and Mel suddenly found her body spun around.

Her legs felt weak. Her fingertips tingled and every fiber of her being felt an excess of adrenaline; Mel stared fixedly at the ground in an effort to prevent her body from falling over. She was relatively sure she peed herself a little bit.

_I think that experience just got bumped up to number three on the list of the scariest things I've been through, _the brunette sighed mentally.

Shadis' loud voice and multiple insults continued to ring through the air. Despite how scary it was- despite how many soldiers he probably made pee a little – Mel was aware that it held a purpose. She was aware that there was no way in Hell that this instructor's rage could ever be as scary as what was to come. This intimidation wasn't done for shits and giggles; it had an important purpose.

Mel was one part extremely grateful for that and one part annoyed at the aspect of just how many more times in the future she may pee herself a little.

_If there's a holy deity in this world the positive effects of this treatment will take hold soon,_ Mel closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to calm herself.

While calming herself down, she suddenly found her attention being drawn to the people that stood across from her now. They all seemed like norm-

Her eyes widened when her eyes stopped at the familiar face of Marco Bott. In a furious attempt to look away quick enough as to not be caught starring Mel forced her gaze to where Shadis was currently standing. To her great surprise she stumbled upon another familiar face. The boy that she had had the incident with on the wagon during the ride here was about to get chewed out by the instructor.

_This should be interesting... _Mel thought as she began to watch closely.

"Jean Kirstein, sir! From the Trost district!"

_So that's his name_, the brunette hummed softly at the new information.

"And why are you here, cadet!"

Mel felt her eyes widen when he answered with a smug smirk. "To join the Military Police, sir. The best of the best."

_What? Does fucking everyone want to join those tyrants? Wait… I guess that's a dumb question- if one has a chance to avoid the Titans they seem to truly take it. The joke is on them it seems. Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or. _

"That's nice," Shadis went on. "You want to live in the interior, do yah?"

Not a split second after Jean confirmed Shadis' question he was met with a cringe-worthy head-butt. Mel visibly winced and for a split second actually felt bad for the nosy cooper head. He fell to the ground like a rock and cradled his head.

"No one told you to sit recruit! If you can't handle this, Kirstein, then forget about joining the Military Police!"

_This place is goddamn insane,_ the petite girl swallowed thickly.

"What the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot?!" Shadis' anger seemed to almost be intensified by Kirstein's act.

"Marco Bott, at your service sir! From the south side of Wall Rose!" Marco began to smile more, "I aim to join the Military Police to give life and limb and service to the king!"

It took a moment for Mel to realize that she was holding her breathe; she'd seen how Shadis acted with Kirstein's smug act about wanting to join the Military Police. How was this going to play out?

_Smug salaud Kirstein got a face full of pain; how's it going to play out for innocent Bott?_

"Well then, that makes you an idealistic fool. You want the truth?" Shadis suddenly got extremely up and close to the freckled boy. "The only use the king has for your life and limbs are as Titan fodder," Shadis walked away and continued on, "Hey cue ball! You're up next."

She could see his absolute look of fear and horror and she felt something resonate in her. Not believing what she just found out- what she just witnessed; she's had that happen to many times before. Despite this Marco aiming for a false hope and an illusion she felt compassion for him.

"Oh me?" An on the short side boy with a shaved head nodded and assumed the salute. Immediately though Mel knew this was going to go south.

"Sir! Connie Springer from Ragako Village, sir!"

In a flash Springer was hanging above the ground; held in the air by his head between Shadis' hands, his body hung there. And despite it all he continued to devotedly hold his incorrect salute.

_Either stupidity or dedication, _Mel observed as she remembered to close her mouth which had been hanging open in surprise. _Perhaps a mix of the two._

"You have it backwards, Connie Springer," Shadis growled deeply. "That was the first thing you were taught. The salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight against the systematic destruction of our people. Is your heart on your right side?!"

Just when it looked like Connie Springer was going to have eyelids removed by Shadis, the instructor noticed the most heinous thing imaginable. Everyone looked on, the tension so thick you could stroke it gently with your hands and make it purr like a cat. Connie's body was dropped to the ground, long forgotten.

"Hey you there…" The bald-headed man turned towards the girl ominously, "what do you think you're doing?" He started to walk forward with heavy steps and once he reached her everyone on the camp could hear what he said.

"YOU ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY SHIT LIST! JUST WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

The auburn hair girl swallowed what she had been chewing of the potato assumed the salute. "Sasha Blouse of Dauper Village at your service! Reporting for duty, sir!"

_Oh look I'm going to witness Instructor Shadis kill someone_, Mel bit the inside of her cheek and, for the first time since she had arrived, slightly regretted her decision.

* * *

><p>"Look at that Potato Girl, she's still going!"<p>

"I thought she was going to drop dead when Shadis told her that she lost her food privileges."

Mel listened idly to the chatter of the new recruits standing near her. She was slightly more focused on finishing her loose French-braid and smoothing out her ankle length circular skirt. Her pastel yellow skirt brought back the happier memories of her time living on the farm with Abagail and her husband. Just a week ago she had bought the white peasant blouse, that she was now wearing, with Abagail. They'd spent the whole day browsing stores and shops and it was the one sole item they had bought- but Mel cherished the day nevertheless.

_And life goes on_; Mel sighed and finished tying off the braid. _I never expected such sense of homesickness to come over me; this seems pointless. That farm never really was my home anyway…_

The ringing of the dinner bell was heard clearly. The brunette girl stood up from the porch of the girl's bunk she had to reside in and made her way towards the dining hall- or what she assumed at least. She didn't remember if where she was following everyone else to was the proper place to be going or not. But she figured it was the most logical action to take at the moment.

Then she saw them.

The dropouts on their wagon ride out of this place. It was back to the fields for them which wasn't necessarily a bad thing since fieldworkers were necessary; however it reminded Mel of her earlier regrets about this that had been beaten down viciously and discarded of at once.

_This life isn't for everyone, but it must be for me. There's no other choice._

The dining hall was on the small side for the amount of people in it but she figured that it would start to feel roomier as the weeks rolled on. It was the first day and there were already a cart-load of dropouts, there were sure to be many more.

A bowl of watery vegetable soup, some unidentifiable glop, mashed potatoes, a piece of bread, and a glass of water were given to her as food. Around her she heard a few moans and complaints about the given food but the short girl had none. It was similar fair to what she imagined it would be, and while it would definitely be a step down from Abigail's cooking, it would be worth it. She slipped into a table towards the back without saying a word to anyone and started to eat the bland meal. Not much time passed before many had gravitated towards another table.

A dark brunet boy was sitting there and from what Mel understood he was from the Shiganshina District- where the Colossal and Armored Titans breached Wall Maria.

Mel listened rather listlessly to their questions and more to this kid's answers.

_He answers their questions almost as if none of it fazed him. He saw giant disgusting Titans up close, what type of sociopath does he have to be that it didn't faze him? _She wiped her mouth and the bit of soup that had managed to find its way down her chin before realizing the irony in her thoughts.

_Haha I'm probably one to talk…_

When there was a sudden pause brought on by one of the kid's questions Mel reconsidered her thoughts.

"Come on guys, I'm sure he doesn't want to have to think of all of that stuff and relive all of it."

Mel frowned as she started to consider the type of people that she'd seen here so far, _Marco isn't the type of boy that should be considering going into the Military Police. For that Kirstein it makes sense, but not Marco._

"It's not like that, okay? Hah those stupid Titans, I've been waiting years to be trained as a solider. They're going to be giving us that 3D Maneuvering Gear and then it'll just be payback time. It's just all this reality is suddenly sinking in; I'm joining the Survey Corps and sending the Titans back to Hell."

She couldn't believe her ears; Mel's sudden inhale managed to allow her to suck soup down her windpipes. The choking girl hacked into her elbow for a moment and waved her hand to disarm the fellow recruits who started to make a move to help her. By the time she finally got a hold of her breathing again Jean seemed to have said some words to piss off the other boy.

"Oh gosh, sorry!"

"Holy Wall Sina! Oh mon Dieu," Mel hissed as soup was suddenly all over her lap. She stood up, slammed her knee on the edge of the table, before finally slamming her forehead on the tabletop when she made a move to cradle her injured knee.

"Ow."

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" The dark haired girl that had been sitting diagonally from her attempted to clean the table off. Snatching napkins from the others sitting around them, she began to shuck them at Mel while mumbling apologies. "I knew I shouldn't have attempted to carry everything at once!"

Mel gave a small smile to the distressed girl as she removed herself from the table and started to clean off her blouse, "Don't worry I'm fine. It'll come out when I wa-"

"No no no I'll clean it now," the mystery girl poured some water onto one of the napkins and started to wipe away at Mel's shirt, "no charge."

"Uh, uh, how- uh," Mel started to sputter as her face got hot. This girl was really far into her personal space, definitely not something she was used to. Even as the bell began to chime loudly again Mel's senseless stuttering continued.

By the time her blouse was clean once again mostly everyone had left the dining hall and Mel had missed whatever happened between Kirstein and that Titan crazed boy. She wanted to be annoyed with this girl but she couldn't quite muster the energy to do so.

"I'm Esme Gagnier. It's a pleasure to meet you! Sorry about the circumstances though hahaha…" Esme held out her hand and smiled warmly at Mel.

"Uh," she glanced at Esme's hand before shaking it, "Melpomene Eris."

"Oh, very pretty name, Melpomene."

"You can just call m-"

"Melpomene. _Mel_pomene. Mel_pom_ene. _Melpo_mene. Ah what a fun name!"

Mel watched in awe as Esme continued to repeat her first name a few more times and pronouncing it different ways. More enunciation on one part and less on the other, a slight accent, a deeper tone- the silver eyed Esme seemed to be enjoying herself. They walked out of the dining hall together even as the taller girl continued to experiment.

"Ah well I should be going, Esme. It was nice meeting you though and I hope to see you soon." Mel bowed slightly and Esme did the same and then waved goodbye as they went separate ways.

The girls' bunkhouse that Mel was in was also housed by Titan boy's dark haired friend Mikasa, a girl named Minna, an orange haired girl named Hannah, Krista, Sasha, Annie Leonhart, and a few other girls that Mel hadn't really met yet. As Mel changed into more suitable clothes for sleeping they talked amongst each other quietly. Mel had been lucky enough to score a top bunk (Hannah made a joke about the bottom bunk being as high as the top bunk for Mel anyway, which Mel reminded her that she was only the second shortest).

A short while later a tall girl (later found to be named Ymir) and Krista walked in with a seemingly unconscious Sasha in tow. Come to find out Krista had risked punishment to give the dying Sasha some food and Ymir had decided to cash in on it. It didn't take much longer for the bunkhouse to fall into a comfortable silence.

A silence that crept under Melpomene's skin and chilled her bones. She could see the shadows creeping up the walls and hear the whispers of her mother's warnings.

_Not tonight Maman, I'm too tired._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**I don't know about the rest of you but I absolutely loved writing Shadis screaming at Melpomene. It was rather invigorating getting to write a character so loud as he is ^^ Reviews are both loved and helpful! Any questions, corrections, suggestions, faves, and follows are lovely.**

Translations:

Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or - All that glitters is not gold.

Salaud - Bastard or son of a bitch, along those lines.

Oh mon Dieu! - Oh my God!


	4. Friends?

**A/N: Sorry for such a wait ^^u Life and school and such are crazy! Anyway I would like to give a shout out to glapot for being such an amazing person and giving me great feedback! I'd also like to give a mention to Maya I. Hendricks as well! Thank you and enjoy~ ^^**

* * *

><p>For what must have been about the past hour Mel had just watched her- she just lay very still in her bed and observed the figure that stood in the corner of the room. Its form was very similar to that of her mother. Of course it was her mother- or at least once was- with her long golden hair and small stature. Unfortunately this sort of event was normal for Mel; her past seemed to follow her wherever she went.<p>

"It stalked her slowly,

And circled in wait

For her to make her fatal last mistake." Mel recited to the shadows quietly.

_Close your eyes and she won't be able to bother you anymore…_ Mel reminded herself with a foggy mind. She wished for sleep dearly. Tomorrow was going to be only their second day and the brunette wished to get at least some rest before then. Squeezing her eyes shut she pulled the blankets closer to her body.

The cabin had been silent for some time besides Sasha's snoring and the occasional tossing and turning. A puff of cold air brushed over Mel's face causing goose bumps to form and the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. The scent of her mother encased her and caressed her delicately; a few tears squeezed their way out from between her eyelids.

"No Maman. No." Mel whispered harshly but made no other noise when she opened her eyes to see a melted face. A translucent body seemed to be attached to the much more visible head. The face of her mother stared into her intensely before it opened its mouth.

"Why did you kill me? Pourquoi? Ma chérie, pourquoi?"

The small girl didn't bother answering. She moved as silently as possible down the bed and towards the closest window. Warm moonlight lighted her path to an escape. Luckily the window complied and opened without a word, allowing Mel to slip out silently. In her effort to quickly escape the vision she didn't bother closing it very well.

Once she was out however she realized she had no idea where to escape to.

_The forest? _She considered it as she wiped her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her shirt. The soft sound of footsteps caught her attention,

_Wherever I go I have to find somewhere soon and take care to not get caught._

Shrinking into the shadows, Mel waited for the guard to pass by without a word or even a breath. Once he was out of sight and the brunette was sure that she was clear she ghosted between the cabins and shadows as she made her way towards the tall woods. It took her all of ten minutes to completely slip away into nature's grasp.

The forest was tall and winding. Rough trees cast in the full moon's light seemed to be reaching out towards her; they wished to take her soul for their own.

_Jokes on them it seems…_ Mel smirked slightly before coming upon a tree that had caught her liking. Without a second thought she dug her nails into the bark and used to feet to help propel her body upwards as she quickly shimmied into the foliage of the first branch.

Testing her balance as she made sure to hold onto the body of the tree, Mel took in the view- or lack of. She wasn't high enough to see far since the trees reached to the heavens far taller than the first branch she was standing on. However she did see one interesting thing in the slight distance that she could see.

"Merde." The hiss tore from her mouth in a wisp of noise as she flattened herself against the tree the best she could. The rough bark bit into her bare arms and neck; she suddenly regretted her lack of proper outdoor pajamas. Despite it all the pain and need to shiver was pressed into the back of her mind as she willed her body to remain completely still.

"Where the hell is Annie? We told her to meet us here." A very fit, blond boy kicked at the dirt on the ground. Mel's eyes zeroed in on his face to identify him but she couldn't recall his name or his friend's. They continued to walk towards the tree she was hiding in.

_What is this business with Annie though? I doubt they are speaking of anyone except that calme blonde fille. How peculiar._

"Reiner, calm down. I'm sure Annie has a proper reason…" His voice was but a whisper from Mel's distance but she strained her ears nevertheless. "She wouldn't skip out for no reason."

"Yeah…" The Reiner boy's focus hadn't seemed to have moved from a fixed spot on the ground. He got down on one knee and leaned closer; Mel stopped breathing.

_Just what sort of shit am I stumbling into?_ She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, _No I'm sure that they're just escaping from the confines of the bunks just like I am. Why am I so suspicious? How silly._

She forced the unsettling feeling down with a great force and focused on the boys again.

It didn't sit well in her stomach, regardless.

"What is it?" The tall, dark haired male took a step forward to the blond one before he was hushed and stopped.

Reiner held his arm up to keep his friend from stepping any closer. "This," Mel couldn't see what he was pointing to but it seemed important to him, "looks like someone is around here…"

His blond head came up and glanced around.

_How the hell can he tell? _Mel was shocked to her core. Did they have a reason to not want someone else around them during this time? And if they found her…?

"You get that from just a couple of leaves and twigs?"

"Not just leaves and twigs, Bertholt. Broken leaves and twigs; they're broken in a way that points to someone being here recently."

Mel bit her tongue.

There was a long pause as the boys seemed to share looks with each other. Mel strained her ears so hard she swore she could hear the water moving through the trees around her- however, it seemed that they weren't saying any words. She nearly jumped when they began to speak again.

"Reiner, I think you're mistaken. Who else would be out?" Berholt's voice was still as soft as it had been before.

The strong-built boy looked down and chuckled a little. "I suppose your right!" He stood up before clapping his friend on his back, "I guess I'm just weary from this creepy forest. We should be going anyway. I guess Annie didn't want to hang with us tonight- too bad I didn't get a chance to really talk to her today and neither did _you_."

The girl in hiding didn't really get the emphasis that Reiner used and she could no longer see their faces so she passed it off as an inside joke. They had turned away on what seemed to be their journey back to the bunks. Mel wasn't so convinced though.

The moon had been at its peak in the sky when she arrived in her tree and now it was halfway to its setting. Hours had droned on but Mel wasn't bored. It was at times like these that the monotonous sound of crickets and owls was calming in an amazing way.

Once the moon seemed to be about four hours to setting the paranoid girl figured it should be about time that she headed back. She was going to bone-ass tired by the time they had to wake up for training and despite that she still didn't want to leave the safety of the tree. Call her crazy and insane but she wasn't completely sound with what she had been almost thrown into a few hours ago; she was yet to believe that people she knew nothing of were completely innocent.

And on the other hand, she had to head back soon.

Of course that meant that so did they.

So who would outwait whom?

_Or perhaps I've already outwaited them and now I'm just sitting here like a looney still. Or they could be waiting as well just a few meters away; I wasn't able to see how far they went with all the trees and darkness. __So which do I choose? Merde, je suis entre l'arbre et l'écorce il ne faut pas mettre le doigt._

"This is ridiculous- I could have been sitting here in this forest all by my lonesome this whole time for all I know! I don't have time for this!" A harsh whisper ripped out of her mouth and she dug her nails into the flesh of the tree once more. A thought came to her about perhaps doing some tree hopping for a few meters before dropping down; if they were nearby she may be able to avoid them that way…

_I trained to hop roof to roof silently, not tree to tree. From this height one wrong move in this terrible light could end in something more than just my pride being broken… Rien à foutre. Let's do this shit._

With a through look at the forest around her, she was satisfied enough. The farther out she got to the branch the smaller it got; her small feet weren't going to save her if she slipped up. The branch of the tree a couple of meters away was close. Tired beyond belief both mentally and physically, she jumped.

She had failed to notice with the low light that the branch she had aimed for was lower than the branch she was jumping from. Mel could feel herself floating through the air; her stomach jumped into her throat and heart fell into her belly button as she cascaded towards the branch beneath her.

_Fuck._

The final meeting with the branch was jarring. Her feet slipping from the grasp of branch forced her pelvic bone into the tree with a shock of pain. Because her arms had nothing to grab onto, Mel's abdomen was slammed forward onto the branch as well. A puff of air escaped her mouth in a noise that had never been heard before. There was no doubt that every living organism within a 60 meter radius must have heard the poorly executed jump.

A soft groan finally escaped her mouth when her body was no longer being battered into the tree, "Ahhh fuck that hurt. Guess I'm just going to have to improve at quite a rate because I vow to never do that shit again…"

Both grateful and annoyed with the pain she had induced onto herself, Mel pulled herself up and prepared herself again.

* * *

><p>It had taken her all of an hour and a half to make it the two and a half meter distance from the tree she had been in to the edge of the forest. Of course her vow to never force herself through such a stupidly caused pain again was broken in about 25 seconds. And a few more times after that.<p>

Only after crashing around in the trees like a drunk squirrel for the better part of 30 minutes, she finally began to get the hold of it. As long as she didn't dare to let her mind wander, blink, or breathe she was able to make sort-of-decent-if-you-squint landings. At the end of it all she was just thankful that she didn't have to walk away from it with much more than a couple of bruises and scratch marks- as well as a spiffy story to share with her imaginary grandkids next year.

"Need. Sleep." Mel groaned as she kneaded her face like dough.

* * *

><p>"It's aptitude test time! So listen up! There is no place for you here if you cannot perform!"<p>

Mel's heart stopped for a moment and her mouth became dry. Imagine it, to come all this way and suffer through the yelling- just to be told that you don't belong here. Pack your bags and go home. Back to the fields.

_Well shit. I hope I can do this…_ Mel's eyebrows furrowed.

"Alright, maggots! Listen up. Your names will be read off in a group number and you will report to the corresponding testing spot! Once there you will be hooked onto devices and lifted into the air; the objective is to keep your balance and stay upright. If you can't, expect to be shipped home. Understood? Group one is… "

Names were read off quickly and it took a surprisingly short amount of time to get everyone situated. Mel felt relief at a familiar name lumped into her group. It took not even 4 seconds for Esme to come bounding over as their group went to their assigned spots.

The silver eyed girl's dark ebony hair swayed behind her. "Neh this is going to be fantastic. Right? I'm sure that we're both going to do great!"

"I hope you're right." Mel gave the other girl an awkward smile.

Esme nudged Mel's side and beamed. "We'll be fine. No worries."

_What the hell is this feeling? _The smile that Mel returned wasn't completely valid because of the fact that she was slightly distracted by the foreign feeling that had struck her.

Three other people had taken their turn before it was Esme's turn. After Esme walked over to take the aptitude test Mel found that her sunlight was being blocked. When she looked next to herself to see who was standing there a small squeak left her mouth. Whipping her head back around to pay an inhumane amount of attention to Esme, she hoped that she'd be able to play off the whole thing as if it had never happened. It was to no avail of course.

"What the hell is your issue, shorty?"

Mel resisted the urge to hiss at him like the inner cat she felt; instead she gave him a blank look that she hoped got her message of annoyance across to him. "What do you want, Kirstein?"

_Stupid smug asshole._

"Hey," he held his hand up and shrugged, "I just thought I'd start a little conversation but I see that it's not likely."

"Jean, did you see how great I did?"

Another figure had suddenly joined them and Mel suddenly felt the urge to scream. Two- of course she would be suddenly corned by two guys that wanted to join the Military Police without any idea of what they were getting into. Everyone here just took things at face value and nothing more it seemed.

"Marco," Mel greeted him and nodded her head.

_I don't like the shit that he plans on running into blind- but I at least owe him polite manners._

"Hi, Mel! Didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon."

_That makes two of us, _Mel's thought was laced with exasperation but she ignored it and smiled at the freckled boy.

"I take it that you and _Mel_ know each other." Kirstein slapped Marco on the shoulder, "You didn't mention that you were such a player."

The shortest of the three could see Marco's expression turn slightly flustered as he blushed. "I'm not like that, Jean. We met when we were handing in our papers to get on the wagons to come here."

"How ironic," Kirstein raised an eyebrow and laughed a little. "It would just be that Mel and I met during that time as well. I had the honor of having her as company in the wagon and-" He stopped short as Mel dared to give him a warning glare.

The boy with the perpetually sly face chuckled, "Well that's a story for another time."

"It's a story only to be told when you wish to die-" Mel's night-sky blue eyes widened when she realized what had slipped out. "Besides," she rushed on in hopes that they wouldn't have a chance to focus in on what she said, "my name is Melpomene Eris and I would prefer if you would refer to me as either Eris or Melpomene. Thank you."

Marco's senses told him that he didn't exactly belong in this conversation and that whatever had transcended between these two people wasn't his business. Didn't mean he wasn't curious though. He watched as his friend rolled his eyes and went to retort.

"Wah, Melly! You didn't see how great I did!" Esme had finished her test and rushed back over to where her friend was left. However, upon seeing the two mystery boys with her she frowned. "And you would be?"

Esme walked up right behind Mel and grasped one of her shoulders in what seemed to be a protective way. Both the boys had noticed; Marco didn't think much of it though, while Kirstein figured that it was a little odd for girls that seemed like they hadn't known each other before to be so close already.

"This is Marco and Kirstein." Mel found that her face was suddenly very hot.

_Melly? Wh- what kind of name is that?_

"Ah, so Marco Bott and Jean Kirstein respectively- I assume." Esme's tone was rather on the bland side much to Mel's shock. Never before had she seen the girl so apathetic.

"And you know us how?" Jean questioned.

"I like to know my enemies," The Gagnier girl supplied.

A weird chill went through the air.

"Jean Kirstein!?"

"Seems like it's my time to shine. Watch and learn how the Military Police do it."

Despite the big talk it seemed that Jean wasn't so sure of himself either. Mel observed his form; he was able to hold himself up the proper way albeit without the surefire steadiness that he seemed to think that he possessed. Other trainees on the contraptions were faring well too. The dark haired girl that the crazy Titan-boy was always with was the best of them all it seemed. She was perfectly calm and steady.

_She's going to be killer. Give her some swords and gear and she may just win the whole shebang for all of us._ Mel thought to herself. She was slightly jealous she would admit but she knew that if she had such potential she wouldn't be able to show it off anyway. The Military Police would without a doubt hear of the girl with the last name Eris that seemed to be in the possession of such skills…

"Mikasa is quite a formidable opponent?" Esme questioned her deep in thought friend. She couldn't help but smile softly when she was greeted with a perplexed look.

"Mikasa… the dark haired girl?"

Esme nodded and proceeded to point out and name the rest of the trainees that were currently being tested. "As I say, it's always good to know an opponent in order to have the upper hand."

"Do you guys see that over there?"

Now the currently forgotten Marco had joined the two girls on the edge of the group. When they gave him confused looks he gestured to where Commander Shadis now stood.

"What is your problem, Jaeger?! Straighten yourself out!"

"Is that… Titan boy?!" Mel couldn't believe what was happening; just the night before he had been talking so highly of all the dreams that he was going to achieve and the titans that he was going to slay. He must've seen so many people that he had known for some time just get devoured by those same titans and now he was getting yelled and laughed at.

_His dreams are being crushed as we speak- that could very well be me when I get up there…_ Cold sweat trickled down Mel's neck.

Despite the fact that last night she had thought he was so rash and dumb- that he had no sense of reasoning- she now found herself rooting for him. Shadis had screamed at him about getting a second chance tomorrow during the last tests. Now Mel was hoping for a chance to watch him succeed.

_I have passion to fight- but not passion like that… Despite how absolutely suicidal it must be to think like that perhaps we need someone like that-_

"Melpomene Eris!?"

"Oh mon Dieu-" The girl that now needed to be front and center almost bit her tongue off when her friend shoved her forward. Looking back, Mel saw for a moment Marco give her a thumbs up and Esme beaming at her.

She found herself suddenly being spun around. The man that was in charge of hoisting her up made quick work of hooking her in. Mel's head had barely caught up before she realized that the slack cord above her was beginning to get tighter.

In front of her it seemed as though it was a never-ending expanse of unknown faces. In the middle of trying to not loss herself and ignoring the figure of her dead mother in the fringe of the crowd- Mel finally found the faces of the three people she knew among those that she did not. Just as her toes lost the feeling of the ground and it seemed that her world was going to end because she was going to find out that she was incapable of doing this she found solace.

Despite herself, she found that she was suddenly comforted by all three of their faces.

And just like that she was suddenly flying.

Well not exactly but that's what it felt like.

_It's kind of like dancing_, Mel found herself smiling at this notion._ You have to be able to sync with your partner and share your balance fairly in order to be graceful with each other._

She felt as light as air; it was as if she could reach up with one hand and feel the clouds on her skin. Her ecstatic feeling filled her body at the idea that yes, she will be able to do this, went to her head. The longhaired brunette suddenly found the idea of playing around with contraption and understanding it better irresistible.

Shifting her balance in one way led to her pitching forward and to her delight shifting another way allowed her to see the world as a child. It was as if she was a little girl climbing trees all over again. The way the contraption and belt worked she found that she wasn't able to flip over completely but it was exhilarating nonetheless.

"And just what do we have here, Cadet Eris?!"

"Ah!" Suddenly knocked out of concentration she found herself struggling for moment to regain her communication with her center of balance. Once she had gotten herself straightened up properly she could see just exactly others thought of her display.

Among the faces in the crowd, there was about an even split of you-are-screwed and what-were-you-thinking. The overwhelmed girl didn't have time to find the faces of Marco or Esme before Shadis seemed to think that she was ignoring him.

"Are you going to answer my question or not!"

"Yes, sir!" Mel blurted out. "I was testing the feeling of this contraption, sir!"

Shadis once again demonstrated his complete indifferent attitude towards other's personal space.

"Is that what you were supposed to do, cadet! Is that what the point of this test seemed to be! I thought that perhaps we were going to have to have more than one retest tomorrow."

Feeling as though she was grasping at straws once again to not drown within herself, Mel looked off to the side to see the rather pissed looking Jaeger boy. She couldn't have felt anymore pale.

_What? Does he… he thinks I'm mocking him?! Great! Yeah Mel while we're at this whole thing why don't we just make enemies with the homicidal boy that may have just had his dreams crushed. Merde, merde, merde…_

"No, sir, it did not seem to be the point of the test! I just wished to familiarize myself with the feeling of it!"

"There is a time and a place, cadet."

That was Shadis said before making a motion with his hand. Suddenly Mel found that she was no longer floating in the air and was instead on the ground. After she was finally detached from what could have been the death of her she was dealing with Jean and Marco. That was until Esme was able to swoop in to the rescue.

"You're one of those types, eh?" Esme commented with a smile as she helped escort Mel away.

"So you think it's funny?"

Both girls stopped to turn around.

While Mel had been half expecting to see Eren come after her- she was much more terrified to see Mikasa in his place.

Detaching herself from Esme, Mel held her hands up in surrender. "No, I think you have it all wrong. I was being honest when I was talking about getting used to the feeling- it made me feel like a kid again." She resisted shivering when Mikasa looked her over with a critical eye.

"Mikasa what are you doing? I'm not a little kid anymore- I don't need you fighting my fights for me!"

It almost looked like it might be a one-on-three for a moment before Esme gravitated closer to Mel again. Instead of being focused on the accused mocker, it seemed Jaeger was much keener on explaining to Mikasa the exact degree of offense she just committed. On the other hand, the blond boy with the longer hair that had tagged along seemed to just stand off more to the side while watching his friends. He seemed slightly sad about their bickering.

As they caught each other's gazes, Mel gave him an apologetic smile before cutting in. "Look, I'm sorry Jaeger. I never meant to offend you honestly. I…" it took a moment for the brunette to decide that perhaps for this one moment she should speak from the heart, "I feel for you. I couldn't imagine being in your shoes- but I think that you're going to be fine tomorrow. I can see that you have friends that are willing to support you through anything…"

Perhaps caught off guard by Mel's words, Eren stopped for a moment. "I- I guess."

Mikasa took chance of Eren's silence in order to make her own thoughts heard. "And I am sorry that I came up and attacked you in such a way."

Accepting Mikasa's words as truthful because it seemed so true to her character Mel nodded.

"We should be going then," Esme suggested while taking hold of one of Mel's elbows in a leading fashion. A moment later the girl didn't bother looking back when she added as a last minute thought, "Good luck to all of you."

* * *

><p>Translations:<p>

Pourquoi- Why

Ma chérie- My dear

Merde- Shit (also one of my favorite words ever)

...calme blonde fille- Quiet blonde girl

Je suis entre l'arbre et l'écorce il ne faut pas mettre le doigt.- It literally means "I am between a tree and a place that you don't put the finger" but it's meaning is more of "I'm stuck between a rock a hard place."

Rien à foutre.- Last I checked it was along the lines of "I don't give a fuck" but I could be wrong ^^u

Do _you_ have any suggestions for French swears or idioms or folktales or anything of the sort that you'd like to see in here? I'd love to hear all ideas ^^ Thanks!


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